The Economist The World Ahead 2025 (November 20, 2024) : In 2025, as seen on the cover, the main event is Trump’s return to the White House and the global consequences of his policies, such as a new wave of trade wars with China. There is also an expected rise in technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles.
Watch the interplay between Donald Trump, technology and radical uncertainty
The cover mentions climate issues and hints at a new phase in the fight for social equality, especially among women. Last year, the cover predicted geopolitical instability, an economic crisis, climate disasters, and the g
In a special edition of the Guardian Weekly, our Washington bureau chief David Smith and diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour reflect on how Trump 2.0 is likely to play out for the US and for the rest of the world.
We look at the role played by the president-elect’s key supporter, Elon Musk, and ask what the world’s richest man can now expect back in return. We also trace the rise of the vice-president elect JD Vance, who is now just a heartbeat away from the presidency.
And senior US political reporter Joan E Greve considers the Democrats – bereft, broken and facing an internal civil war after a campaign that ended in disaster.
1 Spotlight | Odour of oil and return of Trump hang heavy over Cop29 As the annual UN climate summit got under way in Azerbaijan this week, Fiona Harvey sizes up the hopes for progressThe video player is currently playing an ad. You can skip the ad in 5 sec with a mouse or keyboard
2 Science | Unravelling the paradoxes of plankton Scientists are sequencing the DNA of microscopic marine life – to help us learn more about ourselves, reports Brianna Randall
3 Feature | When adult children cut the cord Grownups who cut of f contact with their family are often trying to break away after a traumatic childhood. But sometimes the estrangement can be totally unexpected for parents. ByGaby Hinsliff
4 Opinion | Trump unleashed will be even worse than last time’s dress reherarsal From a public health crisis to the end of Nato, the threats are clear, writes Jonathan Freedland
5 Culture | Sportswriters and arts critics swap jobs How does the English National Opera compare to the Premier League … or the NFL to a West End musical? Our sports and culture experts found out
Spotlight | Israel and Iran’s war comes out of the shadows The Observer’s Simon Tisdall considers the consequences for the region of Israel’s weekend missile strikes on Iran
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Environment | The Colombian warlord who reneged on deforestation As the Cop16 nature summit in Colombia comes to a close, Luke Taylor tells a story that highlights the country’s complex relationship between environmental aspiration and political will
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Feature | The brain collector Using cutting-edge methods, Alexandra Morton-Hayward is unravelling the extraordinary mysteries of grey matter – even as hers betrays her. By Kermit Pattison
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Opinion | It’s time to tell it how it is: Trump has fascist instincts Those who know him best use the F-word to describe the former president. Every warning light is flashing red, argues Jonathan Freedland
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Culture | The intersection of art and war in Ukraine Poets, artists, playwrights and musicians are fighting and dying in Ukraine, and their work is capturing the horror and emotion of the conflict, finds Charlotte Higgins